Immediate end to Repression and Curfew

Acceptance of Statehood & Rights under Schedule 6

Judicial Enquiry on the violence and Police Firing

Ensure employment, livelihood, No corporatisation of Resources
 
New Delhi : SKM strongly demands the Union Government immediate release of Sonam Wangchuk, withdrawal of all cases against the agitators, acceptance of Statehood and grant of Schedule 6 to people of Ladakh. SKM extends solidarity to the democratic movement of the people of Ladakh fighting for their rights for statehood, livelihood and democratic rights and to end bureaucratic authoritarianism in the administration of the Union Territory.

SKM had been supporting the struggle of the people of Ladakh and visited Sonam Wangchuk and fellow agitators in Sikkim Bhawan at New Delhi while he was observing satyagraha struggle for their genuine demands last year.  Charging Sonam Wangchuk, a great patriot and fellow agitators for threat to ‘National Security’ is an untenable and nefarious design to erode the very existence of Ladakhi people and their right over land, natural assets and development. Home Ministry treating a political issue of national importance just as a law and order problem using state might is unacceptable.

The Home Ministry has charged Sonam Wangchuk of provoking violence on Sept 24, completely ignoring the fact that a peaceful and protracted struggle has been continuing for the last long 5 years and as part of that he was on a hunger strike since 10th September. To pour fuel over fire, the government fixed Oct 6 for discussions, refusing to consider the issues on time. Clearly it is the Home Ministry that has fuelled the situation and paved the way that led to the violence and police excesses that killed 4 youth, injured more than 100 and imposed curfew and should be so criticised. Governments’ actions are anti-people, not in the national interest and had been grossly erroneous while handling such a sensitive issue especially in a region part of Himalayas sharing international border with China.

The unfortunate plan of the Union Home Ministry and DGP Leh to label Wangchuk first as Chinese agent and then as a collaborator with Pakistan is a conspiracy detrimental to the national interest of India. It is untruthful and an insult to the people of Ladakh and their constitutional right to wage a democratic struggle for statehood which is not a crime. It is to deprive them of their right to decide over their development as enshrined under Schedule 6, which they are fully justified in demanding. 

As per the reports, the dead bodies had multiple bullet wounds on torso and head. According to rules, police must use minimum force and if necessary then shots must be fired below the knee to disperse the mob while handling democratic protests of the citizens.  The reports reveal there were police excesses and rules were violated. SKM demands a judicial enquiry on the violence and the police firing and strict legal actions against all those responsible for excesses.  

Ruling RSS-BJP has displayed utmost insensitivity in dealing with the issues of the border region, after dismantling the statehood of Jammu Kashmir and declaring Ladakh as a Union Territory. The long deprival has led to massive unemployment causing anger in the youth. As per the reports provided in the Rajya Sabha on 14 December 2024, in 2021-22 9.8% of graduates in Ladakh aged 15 or above were unemployed, but this number jumped to 26.5% in 2022-23. The national average was 14.9% in 2021-22 and 13.4% in 2022-23. Thus, Ladakh, where graduate unemployment was about 5% points below the national average in 2021-22 saw a 16 % point rise in one year to have an unemployment rate that is now double the national average. As per newspaper reports 50000 applications were received for a recent advertisement for filling 534 vacancies in various departments reveals the extreme unemployment faced by the people of Ladakh. Underlying issues are lack of employment and rights over land. Inclusion in Sixth Schedule will ensure their rights over land while statehood will ensure jobs for the youth and are justified demands.

Main issue is that the Home Ministry instead of ensuring people centred development to generate employment and livelihood for the local people,  was on a corporate mission to hand over much of the land, lakes and forests for mining, trade and industry by Adani, Tatas, Ambani and other corporate houses for extracting silica, Rare Earths, Solar panelling, tourism and others. This plan completely undermines local people’s and farmers control over grazing land, animal husbandry, agriculture, fishing, which are their main source of survival. Modernizing their primitive life through appropriate industries too will be undermined to serve crude wealth extraction by corporate companies. This is against the special provisions of the Indian Constitution related to the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir of which the people of Ladakh are an integral part.

The narrow minded ideology of ‘Hindutva’ of RSS-BJP rooted in One Nation, One Culture, One Religion, One Language, One leader, motivated to develop corporate wealth is attacking and ruining the very fundamentals of unity in diversity that created the coming together of the great country of ours, India. The development in Ladakh exposes the failure of the policy of BJP-RSS regarding the statehood of Jammu Kashmir and related to the policy on national security of India. The BJP led Union Government is serving the interests of the corporate forces above the interests of the people of Ladakh by declaring the democratic movements and their patriotic leaders as anti-nationals and putting them in prison. The political development in Ladakh and the most insensitive and dangerous manner the Home Ministry is dealing with the people’s movement of protest there urges all the political parties and mass and class movements across India to come together and raise voice against such adventurism by the Modi Government. Otherwise the unity of India will be challenged and the anti-national forces and Imperialist agents will take advantage of such highhandedness of the Modi Government.